Who Dey!

Who Dey think gonna beat the Bengals??? Not the Steelers...

Henry watched the Bengals beat the Steelers for the second time this season. He sported the appropriate gear - thanks to his Gramy Long.

Go Bengals!

Henry cheered loud and hard in the first half of the game, but wore himself out before the second half started.

Our Chunky Monkey

Henry is six weeks old today! The time has gone by so quickly, and he is growing like crazy. We went for the one month appointment on October 30, and Henry weighed 9 lbs, 14 oz. We had to go back to the doctor on November 9 (10 days later), and Henry had gained nearly two pounds! Babies typically gain two pounds per month, not per week. The doctor said Henry had a little growth spurt that moved him from the 54 percentile in weight to the 74 percentile. BIG BOY!

Henry has started to "talk" to us more, is smiling regularly and trying to laugh. He's a great sleeper, too. He sleeps about four hours at a time - day time and night time. We're getting a little more sleep, which is great, but what's better is seeing Henry's smiling face. :)

On his changing table after a bath....He's not in newborn diapers anymore. Kind of bittersweet for me.


Happy and handsome!

Living Room or Sports Bar?

My good friend, Lisa, came in town to meet Henry this weekend. We had such a good time and Henry loved meeting her. While we had a girls' night, Kyle had some friends over to watch football. Is this our living room or sports bar? He moved the TV from the kitchen into the living room so they could watch more than one game at once. Fortunately, everything is back in its original place operating at full capacity.


James, Eric, Kyle and Henry watching...


the two TV's in our living room.

Henry has reflux! A bib is a necessity when feeding him right now. This one says, "Cute but messy. Just like Daddy."

Splish Splash....

Henry took his first real bath!

BOO!!!

Happy Halloween! Check out the pumpkins on Henry's socks.

Henry or Uncle Fester???

Stretching in his Skeletor outfit.


Wondering why I'm still taking his picture...


His real Halloween costume - a monkey!

One Month Old

Kyle and I are thoroughly enjoying parenthood. We are struggling through a little bit of sleep deprivation, but have no complaints because Henry is an excellent baby. Today was his one month appointment at the pediatrician. He's a healthy and happy baby, weighing 9 lbs, 14 oz. and measuring 21.25 long.

This month has gone by so quickly. We've had quite a few visitors - both sets of grandparents, Uncles Clay and Jonathan and Aunt Kristen, as well as some of our closest friends. Thanks for all of the well wishes and gifts from our friends and family, and for the meals from our wonderful neighbors. We hope to introduce everyone to Henry soon.

Below are some highlights from the first month.

Henry loves to play with his Aquarium play gym and laugh at himself in the mirror.
(Check out his reflection in the mirror.)


He misses Daddy when he goes to work, and loves to see him when he comes home.

Henry's watched a couple of UK football games...I know that doesn't come as a surprise to anyone.

We took him to the Pumpkin Festival at Stone Mountain, but forgot to get a pumpkin!

He loves to eat...and tries to hold the bottle all by himself. Of course, we think he's advanced. :)

This is Henry's favorite place to sleep...or watch football with Daddy.

Fortunately, the dogs are getting used to our new addition.

My First Walk

One week old...Today, Henry went on his first walk. Kyle and I took Henry, Brooks and Gavin on a short walk in the neighborhood. It didn't last long, and Henry slept the whole the time, but it was nice to get some fresh air. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Walker for the travel system/stroller.

He's Here!

Kyle and I welcomed Henry Miller Long on Wednesday, September 30, at 8:07 p.m. Henry weighed 7 lbs, 11 oz and was 21 inches long. We are all doing really well.

In the labor and delivery room during Henry's first few minutes of life.

Snuggling with Daddy in the hospital after a feeding.

First bath at home.


Sleeping soundly after his bath.

40 Weeks But Who's Counting? (Me, You and Everybody Else)

Greetings from Baby Watch! Kyle and I are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Baby Long. To answer some common questions of late...

1. No, Baby Long STILL doesn't have a name yet. We're working on it, but at this point a final decision probably won't be made until D-Day.

2. My due date is tomorrow! And, no, there appears to be nothing happening. We go back to the doctor on Tuesday and hope to have more questions answered as far as when this baby will arrive.

3. On Tuesday, September 22, Baby Long weighed 7 lbs, 5 oz. At the rate of a half a pound per week, he will likely be more than 8 lbs when he's (finally) born. I weighed a little over 7 lbs when I was born, but Kyle weighed over 10! It sounds like Baby Long is going to be a big boy, too. (Though not quite as big as his dad was...Thank God!)

4. We had an ultrasound last Tuesday. We think the baby is pretty cute. He seems to look a lot like Kyle. He has really wide feet, too! The doctor even commented on how wide they were. The better to kick me with, I guess.

A couple of people have asked for updated pictures of me. The picture below was taken today - at 39 weeks and six days. I've also included some pictures of the nursery. We are ready! Finally, I'd like to offer Congratulations to the Mulrooney and Dougherty families. Baby Blake Dougherty was born on Friday, and Baby James Mulrooney was born on Saturday which just happened to be my good friend, Zoe's 30th. Quite a celebratory weekend!


In our living room at 39 weeks and six days.

The nursery.

The crib with bedding made by Kyle's mom, Pat, and his Great Aunt Dot. The bedding is peacock blue, chocolate brown, lime green and white. The "theme" of the room has turned into polka dots. I guess it's only appropriate that Aunt "Dot" made the bedding.

Just another view of the nursery. Hopefully, a baby will be in this nursery for the next blog update!

Go Big Blue!

It's September and college football - specifically Kentucky football - is back. Kyle and I are having a restful, but busy Labor Day Weekend. Kyle and the boys, Brooks and Gavin, watched football yesterday and put together the last of the baby products. The Pack and Play is standing, the baby monitor is set up and the Cats won. It was a good day!


Our dog, Brooks, was named for UK's head football coach, Rich Brooks. I recognize we look a little obsessive about UK football...I assure you this is 100% Kyle!


Brooks and Gavin watching the UK game. Yes, both dogs have UK football jerseys that they wear for every game. They even brought their referee toy to watch yesterday's game.


Kyle and the dogs watching Kentucky beat Miami. We are aware that the dogs will have a rude awakening when the baby arrives. We're letting them live it up right now. :)

Three Years Ago Today...

Today, Kyle and I celebrate our third anniversary. It's been an eventful three years...moving to Atlanta after the first and welcoming a baby after the third. Below are some wedding pictures taken by Kyle's dad. I thought the day was perfect. :)

Our first dance was to David Gray's "The One I Love".

Our reception was at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in downtown Cincinnati. This is the wedding party on the balcony there. The Ohio River and Covington, Kentucky, are in the background.

OPA! Celebrating Life Before Becoming "Mom"

On Tuesday, I will officially leave my twenties and start a new decade. Kind of fitting, considering Kyle and I will start a new era of our own soon. On Saturday night, Kyle and I went out with some friends to celebrate my birthday, as well as a couple of other good friends who turn 30 in August. We went to dinner at Taverna Plaka - a Greek restaurant where yelling "Opa!" and belly dancing is just part of the total exprience. Another part of the experience is for the birthday girls to dance on the table while everyone sings "Happy Birthday" to them. My good friends know that historically I've enjoyed the attention and wouldn't have hesistated to hop on that table to be serenaded. At 8.5 months pregnant, however, I wasn't sure it was a good idea. But, my good friend, Brianna convinced me to get up on that table. At first I felt kind of silly, but am really glad that I joined in on the celebration. With a watchful eye and hand on my back, Kyle made sure there were some pictures to commemorate the last weekend in my twenties, and the last birthday before becoming "mom".

Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate - especially the girls that shared their birthday celebration!

With Brianna...on the table...

James doing his table dance. He always provides us with great entertainment.

Good friends...James, me, Kyle and Brianna.

With Kyle, who has made this birthday super special. I am fortunate to have such a wonderful husband.

With the other birthday girls....Heidi, Brianna, me and Melissa. I'm also fortunate to have their friendship. Next year, ladies, the celebration is ON...until Baby Long needs to go down for bed. :)

Getting Ready for Baby

After we returned from Florida, Kyle and I tackled the nursery. We still have some work to do, but we are moving along quite nicely.

My friend, Catherine, made this diaper wreath for Baby Long. It will hang on the nursery door until we start needing those diapers.

This is the glider. Long story about the glider...if you look closely enough, you can see a tear on the top corner and on the arm. It fell out of the delivery truck en route to our house!

Baby Long's crib from P-Daddy and Nana Long.


The changing station and dresser.

Our neighbor thinks the nursery is lookin' good!

Babymoon?

I recently read that a couple will often take one last vacation together before the arrival of a new baby, and it's called a "babymoon". While I don't know if it qualifies as a babymoon, Kyle and I just returned from a week-long vacation to North Miami Beach with my family. My grandparents started going to the Golden Strand - the place we stayed - about 40 years ago, and this year, 13 family members spent a week on the beach at the Golden Strand. We had a great time and thank my parents for a wonderful trip! Grandma and Grandpa couldn't join us, but they were definitely with us in spirit.

Kyle and I on the beach at dusk.

My dad and mom with the lights of downtown Miami behind them. We ate at a restaurant on Biscayne Bay.


My brother, Jonathan, and I with my mom on a balcony in the condo.

The pool deck with the ocean in the background. On the left is Christopher, my cousin's son, and Kyle and my cousin, Kelly, are behind him.

The view from the condo.


My mom, Peggy, and her sister, Jill, in the pool, with their matching hats. They come to the Golden Strand together in January every year, and occasionally my mom will join Jill in July.